The thought of standing on stage in a bikini along with all those fit women is absolutely terrifying, so it is important for me to remember to take it one day at a time!! What's that old saying? "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift." NOW IS ALL WE HAVE!! Make the most of it!!

That's the whole idea here: instead of becoming so overwhelmed by the long-term goal ("omg, I'll never look like that!" and "I can't stick to this diet for that long!!") that I end up quitting before I even make any measurable progress, I'm going to plan well, stay positive, and take it one day at a time! It's all about a POSITIVE ATTITUDE and making the most of each and every day!!! (I should be doing that anyway, right?? )

Right now I'm in the planning phase. I am currently lifting, slacking off on my cardio, and eating more junk food than I should be. Hoping to have the big picture outlined, the first month planned out in detail, and the first week's food bought and prepped by March 1st. March 1st... woo that's close! I know it is necessary for me to have a detailed plan before I begin. If I just launch into it (which is how I usually do things) I'll quickly be overwhelmed, panicked and frustrated by the task at hand. There will still be times when I feel like that, but the whole idea is that when i feel panicked, I can turn to my handy-dandy contest prep plan for guidance, reassurance and vision. I can look at it and say "look, you're right on schedule, plus you have plenty of time before the show!" or "okay, so you only had three cardio sessions this week, but see, that's why you built in the option to up your cardio every six weeks. You're still on track!" (lol, gotta love the self talk)

Honestly this planning phase might be the second most difficult part (I'm not delusional enough to think anything but the diet will be the hardest part!). I don't have a trainer and honestly I don't particularly want one. I know it would be helpful and I'd like to have some of the weight lifted off of this planning phase, but I truly cannot afford it. I have enough resources at my disposal that I can make this work, and if need be, I can purchase a few training sessions on an as-needed basis. Plus, this exercise in self-motivation and self-discipline will be good for me! I would like to have a training partner though... oh, what I wouldn't give for a training partner!! I'll be praying for that one.

I'll be posting my beginning pics here soon and I'll start logging my diet/training as of tomorrow. Oh yeah, and I have to warn you, this will be a transformation for me! I do not currently look like a competitor! I admit I'm nervous to put my beginning pics up, but this is a welcoming, supportive board, right? I keep telling myself I'll be glad I posted my beginning pics in 4-6 months when I finally look like a competitor!!

So, any advice for a vegan contest prep diet? Anyone know of any websites/books discussing said topic?

Oh my gosh! Just finished reading through the journals of some other competitors and I am so inspired!!!! I have so many new ideas for my diet and my training and I can't wait to start planning! I feel 1000x more confident about my pre-contest diet than I did a few hours ago.

SO glad you're here! I love that we're seeing more female competitors on the board =D Looking forward to reading your journal and seeing your progress- don't worry about posting the "before" photos, it will help you to see the progress you've made and inspire not only yourself but others too!

Will you be competing in DE area? I may have to come up to see the show and show my fellow vegan some support =)

Sorry for my long silence (totally not like me to be quiet ), it has been a heck of a week! I started a new job this past Monday and I'm still adjusting. New job comes with a new schedule and I've been so out of whack this week that I'm not sure if I've been on the computer more than once this whole week! Yikes!

I have been busy, but I have not neglected my planning.

Today is DAY ONE. DAY ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (can you tell I'm excited??)

I am officially in training for the OCB Charm City Classic on October 15th. I am committed. No matter how challenging this gets, I am going to see it through. I've been thinking about this non-stop all week and I've definitely considered chickening out and skipping this whole thing... but I just can't do that. I've been dreaming about this for SO LONG; it is time to make my dream a reality. It is time to push myself to the next level. It is time to commit. Man, it feels good to say that! I've been saying since January 1st that 2011 is going to be my year - time to make it happen!

Thanks to everyone who's chimed in so far with their two cents... much appreciated! In "real life" i know one vegan and zero competitors, so this community really means a lot to me!

Later today i will be posting my contest prep plan. It will forever be evolving, but I wanted to put together a good starting point and plan out some checkpoints along the way. I have 33 weeks to work with and the last thing I want to do is shrug off the details with an "eh, I've got plenty of time". Gotta have some accountability!